Great British Button Challenge: Enter to Win!

We’re on a mission to get Britain sewing again, starting with our schools! As part of the Great British Button Challenge, we’re giving out free buttons to schools, and challenging teachers to bring sewing back into UK classrooms. The 2018 Hobbycraft Report found that 1 in 5 people in the UK can’t sew on a button, with 52% never taught at school, so we’re giving teachers, parents and budding stitchers creative inspiration for imaginative button makes, with projects suitable for individuals and group activities, and ideas that are both fun and educational! Find out more about the Great British Button Challenge, and the great prizes up for grabs, at www.hobbycraft.co.uk/

Teachers and pupils can take photos of their button makes and share them using the below form, with high value prizes up for grabs! This competition will be running up until 23:59 on 31/07/2018. Two winners will be selected on 1st August 2018 – one individual prize, and one group prize.

The Prizes

July 2018 Individual Prize – £50 Hobbycraft gift voucher

July 2018 Group Prize – Creative Classroom Bundle worth £150

and the group winners are…

Miss Henwood and 1 Oak at Edge Grove School

“We do a daily mile run every day in our Edge Grove Park to keep fit! We have done it every day without fail since the initiative started. The children thought it would be a good idea to sew our route on how we get to the daily mile park from our classroom. This is the first time we have EVER sewed! We used our school map to find our classroom and locate the park.”

and the three group runners up are…

Visually Impaired Children supported by the Worcestershire Sensory Impairment Team

“As Specialist Teachers we believe that children that children with a vision impairment can achieve anything with the right support. We decided to use black buttons on a light coloured background, to create a giant braille message. Many of the children are in mainstream schools, where they may be to only student needing braille or large print, so it was great to have a project to share with others who have visual difficulties.” – Specialist Teacher Linda Webb

The Button Challenge Club at Millbrook Primary School

“I cover PPA time for a number of different classes. Year 2’s theme was Under the Sea, Year 3 had been studying habitats, and Year 5 had been doing a lot of work on sustainability. So, I took Year 2’s theme as the base, then children decided to make it a statement about how plastics are polluting our oceans and destroying the creatures and their habitat. In order to get the most children sewing a button on, we decided the buttons would form the coral to create our own barrier reef. The project inspired the whole school – children from Reception through to Year 6 have sewn on a button, 27 children from all year groups did this in their lunchtimes and some have done it in class with me. Myself and two Year 5 pupils formed the lunchtime ‘teaching team’, with some Year 3 and Year 6 children passing on their skill once they had learnt to sew a button on. The children were completely engrossed. We have used all recycled materials in the picture, apart from the buttons and the sewing thread. Year 3 composed the picture as a class. We have loved this project!”

Dolphin Class at Clayton Primary School

“Within our topic ‘Secret Garden’ we were looking for something creative to do for Art/D.T. We came across your wonderful button challenge, and as a class decided it would be a good idea to make a flower hanging and incorporate your lovely buttons within the hanging. We designed our flower hanging first, deciding on the colour of the felt/thread and buttons. Then Mrs Wilson showed us how to sew on the buttons, before sewing the flower together and stuffing the centre. We really enjoyed the challenge as none of us had sewn on a button before! We are really proud of ourselves and Mrs. Wilson says there are lots more buttons for us to sew next year! Thank you for the challenge. Dolphin Class Cayton School.”

Congratulations to the winners and runners up, and thank you to all for your incredible entries this term!

Safe Sewing Tips

Sewing on a button is a simple process, but it involves the use of both sharp needles and scissors, so an appropriate level of supercision is essential. Teachers taking on the Great British Button Challenge should make a judgement about supervision based on the age of the children involved, and manage classroom activities appropriately to avoid any injuries or mishaps.

For younger children, you may wish to consider using a plastic yarn needle and embroidery thread, and pre-making holes in fabric before pupils get to work.

How to Enter

Submit your details into the form below with a photo of your button make, and a short description of what you’ve created along with your class and school name.

Please ensure that the image you upload is under 2MB

Name *Email *

Address 1Address 2

Town/City

Postcode

What inspired your creation? *

Gallery

All entries to the Great British Button Challenge will be displayed in the gallery below!* Use the below creations as the inspiration you need to create your own fantastic hat, and send it in for your chance to win a £250, £100, or £50 Hobbycraft gift voucher for your school.

Click on any image below to enlarge and scroll through the competition entries. By selecting the ‘i’ icon in the bottom-left of each image, you’ll be able to find out what inspired each entrant!

Enter a make of your own by using the above form, and don’t forget to share this gallery and let us know which entries you’re inspired by in the comments!

*Please note that all entries must be approved before showing in the gallery, so check back soon if you can’t find your entry straight away!